Analytical Methods for the Determination of the Geographic Origin of Emmental Cheese. Free Fatty Acids, Triglycerides and Fatty Acid Composition of Cheese Fat

摘要

Free fatty acids, triglycerides and fatty acid composition in cheese fat were investigated on 20 Emmental cheese samples from six regions in Europe to find the best parameters for discriminating between their different geographic origins. These samples originated from a winter production. "Bretagne" and "Finland", where silage feeding is permitted and which are located close to sea level, were easily differentiated from the other regions. The concentration of some groups of polyunsat-urated fatty acids such as C18:2 , conjugated linoleic acids and ω-3 was significantly lower. However, the ranges of values obtained in this study were always smaller than those found in broader studies. The butyric acid content was higher in the two regions with silage feeding. These differences may however partially disappear during summer production. The other regions showed almost no significant differences. The high variability of the fatty acid composition due to both seasonal and feeding effects leads to the conclusion that theses methods are not adaquate for discriminating between the geographic origins of Emmental cheeses.